Linocut House Portrait

“I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen.” — A.A. Milne

Sometimes you meet someone and you know they are going to play an important role in your life.  Christina Wald is one of those people for me.  I met Christina thirteen years ago when she was in charge of the Cincinnati Illustrator lunches.  We quickly became friends and before I knew it I was off traveling with her to a travel sketching workshop in Taos.  Christina has a way of pushing me to do things that might be out of my comfort zone...but in the best way.

This past year she was asked me to be a guest on her podcast "Sketchy Talk" to talk about my new children's book.  Again, I felt out of my comfort zone, but, as usual, it was probably good for me.  

We chatted for an hour about all sorts of things and the time flew by.  If you are interested in sketching, travel, or art, I highly recommend joining her Patreon.  She has illustrated over 60 children's books and is also leading travel workshops around the world that you can see here.

For my birthday Christina gave me the above sketch framed.  And so this year, for her birthday, I decided to make her a linocut portrait of her house.

Sketch

I began making the print by choosing a photo.  I usually take my own photos, but I was under a time crunch and ended up using a Google photo of her house.  I traced the outlines of her house, eliminating the distracting telephone pole and wires.  I also experimented with drawing in the roof tiles, but decided against it in the end.  Sometimes, simple is better on a small linocut.  In addition, I wasn't sure if I was going to make the print black and white or color.  I played with shading the roof shadows in my sketch and it was helpful to think about what I might leave completely black.

Transfer to block

After completing the sketch I transferred my drawing to the Safety-Kut block by simply flipping it over and rubbing the back with a credit card. You can see a video of that process here.

Carving

Once the image was transferred I used my Flexcut v-gouge to carve the design.  

Test Print

I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave the grass black or carve it away and paint it green.  If I kept the print black and white I was most likely going to leave the grass black.  

After I saw the test print I realized I didn't like the way the grass was outlined.  I should have left the sides of the grass connected to the edges.  That pretty much made my decision to use watercolor for the final print.  This is why it is important to do a test print!

Printing

When I went to look for black ink I couldn't find any.  What kind of printmaker doesn't have black ink?  Luckily I found a very old tin of Gamblin's in the back of my ink drawer.  It was hard on the outside...but I was able to find some wet ink by burrowing deep inside the tin.   

I printed about half with the black grass and then carved the grass away for the rest.  Here they are drying on the studio table.  I tried a new wax drier which helped speed the drying time and it worked great!

Watercolor

Once the print was dry I brought it upstairs to watercolor.  I am still using the first Winsor and Newton travel watercolor kit I bought twelve years ago on my trip with Christina, although I have had to refill a few of the colors.

Video

One of the things I have discovered about myself is that I love making videos of the process.  My favorite part is setting the music to the photos and videos...so turn your volume on! 

Framing

I framed the print in an 8 x 8 frame matted to 4x4.  It is so satisfying to see it framed.  Christina had us over for a fancy hot pot dinner on her birthday.  I delivered her gift and I think she and her husband liked it.  

"Stick with people who pull the magic out of you." —Unknown

I had not made a print in over a year and it felt good to get back to it.  The last twelve months have been difficult.  Sometimes it feels like I have been in a free fall...or that things will never return to normal again.  In some ways, they won't.  But I do know that we are all connected...and the connections we have with others help catch us when we fall.  They are like a safety line tied round our waists.  I believe these connections can also feed us light and help us shine.  I am so thankful to be connected to a lovely web of friends and family.  I feel held by these strong cords and you all feel like home.

When I was making the print I thought about leaving the windows dark, like in the photo.  But when I imagined Christina and her husband Troy inside, I pictured them as two very bright lights.  I made the windows white and liked the idea of my two friends lighting up the whole house, with light pouring out the windows.  A big thanks to both of them for their friendship and love.  And a heartfelt wish to Christina to have a Happy Birthday and wonderful year filled with travel, art, and friends.